This is one, if not the only, certified 25K courses in the state of Missouri. Because this is a smaller race and an odd distance, here's your chance to get into the state record books for your age. It's a very unique race in another sense that you don't know where the starting point will be until the night before. What!? This is a point to point race that will start at either the Carthage High School, or the Sarcoxie High School. The finish will be at either. The name of the race is derived from the variable starting points and depends on the direction of the wind. The start will put the wind at your back for a faster time. Pretty neat! There are shuttles available to take you back to your car. The race is put on by the Joplin Roadrunners and managed by TwelveOne Race Management. It is organized well with no issues I was aware of. Parking is easy and close because of the start/ends being at schools. The course can be broken up into thirds. The first and last sections are very flat and fast, while the middle is quite hilly and will make or break you. I'm a good hill runner and that's where I picked off most of the carnage. The course is open farm and pasture land and is quite pleasant to run through. The course is open to traffic, but their is not much to worry about. There is virtually no crowd support in this race with the exception of aid stations and maybe an intersection where a runners family has parked to cheer someone on. The aid stations are basic with a couple of locations along the route with water and sports drink. I'd recommend using a handheld if you need extra fluids. There is no expo, just come and pick up your bib before the race and hang out with awesome people. The shirt was an off brand tech shirt that was good quality with the race logo on it. Unfortunately, it was baby blue and I hate the color. It immediately went into my race shirt pile intended for a race blanket in the near future. The medals were alright but more of an economical one most likely to offset the cost of the tech shirt. This is a low cost race to enter. This isn't a bling chaser event. This is a running purist event. Overall its a pretty cool low key event. If you are competitive in your age group then you might have a chance for a Missouri State record. IMPORTANT! This is Missouri in February. You never know what the weather will be like. in 2016 it was 20 degrees at the start. In 2015 it was 75 degrees. It could be raining, sunny, snowing, sleeting, or sharknados in Missouri during the race.